Trent Kort
Trent Thomas Kort was a one-eyed British national and a former CIA operative who was also the arch-enemy of former NCIS Senior Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo Junior. Biography Pre-Series Born on October 21, 1967, Kort grew up in England. He studied at Oxford University during the 1980s where he was a track athlete. He later emigrated to the United States and joined the CIA as an operative. One of his instructors was Marcin Jerek, whom Kort described as one of his favorites. In the late 1990's, Kort was the lead training officer for Operation: Frankenstein, a joint operation by the CIA and U.S. Navy to train military servicemen as assassins for the CIA. The operation was the brainchild of Leon Vance, while he was still a student at the Navy War College, and endorsed by Phillip Davenport, later Secretary of the Navy. Unfortunately, the operatives produced by the program were not only used to carry out government-sanctioned assassinations, but also hired out to corporations and influential politicians in other countries - a means of generating both diplomatic "goodwill" and huge revenues, from which Kort skimmed enough money to retire on. Following September 11, 2001, Kort met Jacob Scott, a member of the British MI6 thanks to the efforts of Dr. Edgar Polk who at the time was the head of a nuclear isotope research center. His greed getting the better of him, Kort became a traitor, turning against both the United Kingdom and the United States as he sold nuclear secrets while portraying Scott as the fall-guy. Tragically, an operation NCIS had conducted to apprehend Scott's wife who was the dealer ended with her death while Kort kept the crimes he'd committed under wraps for the next decade. Following that operation and with his CIA superiors none the wiser about his dealings with Russia, Kort returned to work for the CIA and at some point, was assigned to Operation Lodestone, an operation concerning international arms dealer René Benoit AKA "La Grenouille". NCIS Season 4 Kort first appeared in "Smoked", when he departed a plane with a number of other individuals. He approached a disguised Tony DiNozzo, leading to a tense encounter. While all other members of the flight were identified, Kort remained unknown, his name and face not appearing in any criminal or international database. He next appeared in "Driven", once again observed by DiNozzo. At a dinner meeting between La Grenouille, the Black Rose, and Kort's partner in the operation. Kort noticed DiNozzo, recognizing him from the flight but taking no direct action. He was finally identified in "Blowback", when his name and face suddenly appeared in the FBI database. He appeared to be one of the accomplices of La Grenouille in the sale of the ARES weapon system. Meeting with a disguised Ducky at an airport in Quebec and quickly knew he was not the man they were here to meet with. He contacted the CIA, who ran Ducky's photograph, and identified NCIS as his employer. They told Shepard to call off the operation, which she reluctantly did. Kort then taunted them as he departed. NCIS makes contact with him in "Brothers in Arms", after an informant was killed. The informant, Noah Webster, was a prominent member of La Grenouille's organization in the United States. Director Shepard believed that La Grenouille ordered the hit, but Kort expressed his doubts and said that he had never known Benoit to order an assassination, though he also admitted he wouldn't be kept in the loop if he did. He pointed them towards the man who would have performed the killing if it was ordered: Andre Jones. Later, after Jones was killed by McGee in self-defense, Kort was again approached by the agency, and he confirmed that La Grenouille had not only not given the order, he had also given explicit instructions that no one touch Webster. He expressed no knowledge about the existence of an incoming arms shipment, but also reminded Shepard once more that it "wasn't his department". NCIS Season 5 Trent Kort resurfaced at NCIS HQ looking for Tony DiNozzo, who was used as the method of delivery for a bomb to kill Jeanne Benoit. Though the team didn't know his whereabouts, Director Shepard stood firm, stating they would not give up DiNozzo or the case against La Grenouille. Kort threatened it "would not end well" for her. He turned to leave, only to encounter DiNozzo, who he preceeded to attack and accuse of putting years of work in jeopardy. Kort only backed down when NCIS drew their guns, before disappearing. He returned later when La Grenouille turned up dead, killed with a gunshot to the head after being paralyzed with a pressure point. He claimed it was a sanctioned assassination and that he had carried out the killing, though doubt lingered as to the true identity of the killer. However, Gibbs managed to force him to admit to the killing of Jasper Shepard, the source of the animosity between La Grenouille. NCIS Season 6 Trent Kort was summoned up by Gibbs again for information on a former CIA operative and personal mentor, whose crimes were being pinned on Ducky. A mutual agreement was struck, with Gibbs owing a favor to Kort in exchange for his services. Kort provided all the information requested and supplied the operative's current address, allowing them to exonerate Ducky. Kort called that favor in after a firefight. Kort made it appear as though the two assailants killed each other, though both Gibbs and DiNozzo called him out on it. Kort revealed the men to be working for Jonathan Siravo, NCIS's second most wanted behind Osama Bin Laden. Kort aided in their investigation, but Director Vance stated he was still officially "benched" at the CIA, and Gibbs revealed he knew Kort had his own plan. That plan was revealed to be the seizure of Siravo's bank accounts, while the man himself was comatose. It was his accountant who actually was pulling the strings of Siravo's criminal empire; he was intercepted and captured by Kort and Gibbs. NCIS: Los Angeles Season 1 NCIS Season 8 NCIS Season 11 While he does not appear himself in Epsidoe 20, "Page Not Found," Kort is name dropped by FBI Agent Jim Brisco, who insists he's nothing like Kort because he has hair. After Brisco is discovered to be a traitor, DiNozzo quips "You were right. You're nothing like Trent Kort." "You're worse," McGee elaborated. "He never denied being a worm," Tony finished, as he handcuffed Brisco and led him away. NCIS Season 13 Kort appears trying to hunt down someone for the CIA, but the team later learns he was fired a month before it happened. He killed multiple people because he sold secrets to Russia in 2002, while framing someone else at the same time. He hired someone to bomb the David farmhouse because she had proof that Kort sold secrets, although he did not have any knowledge of her actually being in the location at the time. Kort dies in a firefight with MI-6,FBI, and NCIS. This was his last apperence Personality Kort was a cold, calculating individual with little to no morality. Appearance Kort was a tall, lean man in his late forties, early fifties with a shaved head and blue eyes. However, upon losing his eye at the hands of Port-to-Port Killer Lieutenant Jonas Cobb, Kort resorted to wearing an eyepatch, presumably to cover the fact that his left eye socket was now empty. By the time he had returned in "Dead Letter", it was shown that the eyepatch was long gone and that he was now wearing a glass eye. He also wore numerous business suits composed of a single jacket, trousers, a shirt, a tie and shoes. Abilities Hand to Hand Combat Intelligence Known Kills *1995: Jasper Shepard- (shot once in the head and disguised it to look like a suicide). *2003-2007: **Unknown dates: Nine unnamed arms dealers- (all killed with car bombs). ***Algeria: Unnamed arms dealer ***Indonesia: Unnamed arms dealer ***The Middle East: Unnamed arms dealer ***Chechnya: Unnamed arms dealer **2007: ***Henri Rousseau- (killed with a car bomb while also trying to kill Jeanne Benoit and Anthony DiNozzo). ***René Benoit- (framed). *2009: **Eric Killian- (shot twice in the chest). **Andre Vogel- (shot to death). *May 2016: **Thomas Morrow- (shot in the back of the head). **Jessica Terdei- (shot once in the leg, then shot in the head with a silenced gun, killing her instantly). **Kevin Dresser- (stabbed several times, although not without receiving stab wounds himself). **Two unnamed workers- (shot to death). Indirect Kills *2002: Nika Razin- (Jacob Scott's wife; shot once in the head by a Russian sniper, who was tipped about a raid to capture her by Kort). Attempted Kills *May 2016: **Tobias Fornell- (shot multiple times in the chest as collateral damage regarding his true target, Jessica Terdei; later survived, albeit under intensive care). **Edgar Polk- (kidnapped; attempted to leave him in the burning house). **Clayton Reeves- (attempted twice; at Dresser's residence and again at Edgar Polk's place) **Anthony DiNozzo- (tried to pull his gun on DiNozzo before the latter and the rest of the Major Case Response Team gunned him down) Appearances Category:CIA Agents Category:Former CIA Agents Category:Spies Category:Traitors Category:Murderers Category:Serial Killers Category:British Category:Killed by Leroy Jethro Gibbs Category:Killed by Tony DiNozzo Category:Killed by Tim McGee Category:Terrorists Category:Killed by Eleanor Bishop